Epstein files bill gets enough signatures for House vote

A discharge petition to bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act II to a House floor vote has secured the required 218 signatures, according to ABC News and CBS News.

The petition, sponsored by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, allows members of Congress, state attorneys general, and Epstein survivors to sue the Justice Department if it withholds or redacts investigative records related to Jeffrey Epstein.

All 214 House Democrats and four Republicans, including Massie and Reps. Nancy Mace, Ralph Norman, and Brian Fitzpatrick, signed the petition, according to ABC News and CBS News.

Discharge petitions are a legislative tool that bypass majority leadership to force a vote; they have succeeded eight times in the current Congress, ABC News noted.

The original Epstein Files Transparency Act was signed into law nearly a year ago after a similar discharge petition effort, but Massie has accused the Justice Department of failing to comply by withholding or heavily redacting over 3 million files, CBS News said.

With the petition now on the calendar for at least seven legislative days, one of the signers must offer a motion on it for the House Speaker to act within two legislative days, potentially leading to a floor vote.